Blue Eyes
by orionex
Summary: Rias hated his eyes. Hideous. Blue. They scared her. They reminded her of a future she would never stop trying to prevent.
1. Blue Eyes

**AN: Just a short little something I whipped up. Might update later, depends on how interested everyone is. Inspired by Rifat's A Demon Misplaced. Definitely check him out if you haven't already.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Naruto-verse, nor the Highschool DxD-verse.**

Rias Gremory liked to write. Loved to, in fact, and amongst the thousands of words she'd written, curled up in one of the many secret rooms of the Gremory Estate, she liked to think it was her little secret. Nobody knew. Not Sona. Not her father, nor her mother. And definitely not her brother.

Not even Akeno, her sister in all but blood. She knew what kind of a tease the sadistic Queen was. To most, Akeno was the perfect woman. Peerless in her beauty. Exalted for her smile. But Rias knew the real Akeno, and the real Akeno would never let her live it down if she found out her King had a fascination for 18th century Gothic prose.

So no. Nobody knew. And Rias Gremory, the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess, would keep it this way. Because if anybody found out, so help them God.

-xxx-

On most days, Rias liked to think she enjoyed English class. It was slotted right between break and lunch, so there was something to look forward to coming in and out of the class. It was held in the best part of campus, otherwise known as the abortorium. And Kai-sensei, a bubbly new teacher that probably had between ten to twenty shots of caffeine every single morning, was simply amazing. She talked about language like it was a lily in a field of daffodils. A peerless star in the dead of night.

Rias loved the class, not only for its subject, but for its raw, human nature. Which, if she was being perfectly honest, was a little ironic considering she was a devil. But, that was the point. That's why she loved Japan.

Here, as a student of Kuoh Academy, she was no longer the sister of the legendary Crimson Satan. She was no longer the heir apparent of one of the great 72 Pillars. She was Rias Gremory. First year college student. One of the two Great Ladies of Kuoh. And most importantly, herself.

Rias hid a smile beneath her hands.

Now _that_ was cool.

She'd have to turn it into something a little later tonight. A poem, maybe? A short ten-pager about a heroine who fled to find herself?

Before she could jot down the lines, a soft voice crackled in her ear. Her familiar, bringing along a message.

"Buchou." Ah, Koneko. She'd have recognized the monotonous voice anywhere. "The pervert smells like a dragon. Akeno-senpai and I confirmed the Fallen is still dating him. She'll probably make her move soon." There was a slight pause. "We should make ours too."

The message was short and blunt. Much like its speaker. Koneko was never one for flowery descriptions, that she knew. She got the job done, and that was all that mattered.

Rias felt her smile widen.

Her rook knew to plant a flyer on the boy. One Issei Hyodou. A massive pervert. A clumsy fool. And if intelligence was to be believed, the wielder of one of the thirteen Longinus.

Rias wasn't cruel, by any nature of the word. She just knew what she wanted.

In this case, what she wanted was power. Power to be free from the shackles of her family. Power to be from a horrible marriage contract. Power to be herself.

And if it took manipulating a simpleton to get this power, well, it was a win-win for them both. From what she knew about the boy, he liked boobs. The bigger the better. And what was the value of the flesh against an entire lifespan of freedom?

She nodded, pleased with herself.

Yes. With his power, she would be _free_.

Rias quickly jotted down a couple lines in her notebook, penciling them in as discretely as possible. A giddy feeling bounced about in her chest, filling her with the urge to write more. To create more. Finally. This was her chance to write her own script. This was her chance to control her own fate.

"Gremory-san?" Kai-sensei's voice only added fuel to the sun.

Rias stood and gave the woman a beatific smile. She _loved_ it when Kai-sensei called on her.

"Yes, sensei?"

Kai-sensei smiled back and tapped the projector screen with her pointer. "It's your turn to read, Gremory-san. Would you like to start us on Dylan Thomas?"

And when Rias's eyes lit up, half the class swooned.

"I would love to."

She grabbed her textbook and flipped to the correct page. Viridian eyes the color of seafoam found the first line. She felt her smile grow wider. Dylan Thomas had written many poems in his life. But this, this was one of her favorites.

"Do not go gentle into that good night," she began, letting the words flow across her tongue. "Old age should burn and rave at close of day. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

She paused for effect.

Poetry was always like this. With a rhythm, with a beat. It danced along like fingers over an instrument, and she was its mouthpiece. She took a deep breath and started again. "Though wise men at their end know dark is right-"

The door opened.

Rias looked up, a little annoyed that somebody had decided to interrupt her right before the best part. The smile fell from her lips almost as quickly as it had come.

"Ah, Uzumaki-kun!" Kai-sensei made her way to the front, beaming at the newcomer. "Do you have a pass from the-?"

"No," said the blonde.

Kai-sensei's smile faltered, and Rias glared.

On most days, she liked to think she enjoyed English class. Today was not one of those days.

-xxx-

Blue eyes stared blankly at the young woman saying his name. Kai-sensei, a transfer from a distant prefecture. He could tell she was left-handed, from the way she positioned herself and set up her desk. Basic shinobi training had taught him that. He could tell she was nervous. Basic shinobi training had taught him that too.

"Ano, Uzumaki-kun?" she asked, her voice shaking ever so slightly.

"Sorry," he said. "I'll go sit down."

Without waiting for a reply, Naruto spun on his heels and strode towards the back of the room. Half the class glared at the bags under his eyes. Half of him couldn't care less. And the other half, what used to be a titanic mass of chakra and shitty sarcasm, was hauntingly silent.

Naruto slid into his chair and pull out his notebook.

Just a few days ago, he'd gotten a letter that'd threatened expulsion if he missed more than a third of the school year. Unfortunately for him, that meant skipping school wasn't an option anymore.

He sighed.

If the situation didn't involve him, he might've even laughed.

Naruto Uzumaki, the Hero of the Hidden Leaf, brought to his knees by a single automated message. And all because he missed school.

It shouldn't have meant anything.

Not at all.

He could've kept going, living in his shitty apartment, with his shitty job at a shitty restaurant, all the while searching relentlessly for a way back. Should've, if he was being honest, not came to school in the first place because he needed to work on the seal that would take him home.

Heeding the student council's warning was to spit in the face of that hope. Actually coming here affirmed what he knew already.

He sighed again.

In retrospect, perhaps it really was a little funny. Because Naruto Uzumaki, the man who laughed at fate, had finally bent his neck. And now, it wasn't him doing the laughing.

-xxx-

Rias liked to consider herself a kind person. She helped old ladies cross the street. She tutored her fellow students in various subjects. She even donated to the local church (but only when they offered Girl Scout cookies in return).

She didn't think she was capable of despise, until she met Naruto Uzumaki.

They only shared one class together, and it only took one class for her to realize something. There was something very, very wrong with him.

It wasn't his mannerisms, for he was polite enough even though she knew he probably wasn't. It wasn't his abrasive delinquent looks, for he was handsome enough in a roguish kind of way. It wasn't the way he composed himself. Always slouching, never focused. She couldn't even hold that against him because he somehow passed every single test without a modicum of studying or try.

No, it was his eyes.

His hideous, blue eyes.

In them, she could see the spite he held for the world. She could see the raw anger and hatred that bubbled beneath the veneer of a regular human teenager. It was men like him that had brought the world to ruin in the past. Men who refused to let go of their bitterness. Men who contained their ire in their soul.

Something had happened to Naruto Uzumaki, and whatever happened had turned him into… this. A monster behind a mask. A devil wearing human skin.

It was funny, because she used to liken the word devil to a compliment.

Now, she wasn't so sure.

She watched as he slid into his chair with a practiced ease. She glared as he took out his notebook. He looked so disarming in the moment. So _normal_. And when she caught another glimpse of those horrible eyes, she fought down the urge to destroy him.

They reminded her of a certain somebody else. She clenched her fists, fingernails digging crescent shaped welts into previously unblemished skin. Grayfia would've admonished her; Rias couldn't bring herself to care right now.

Because Naruto Uzumaki and Riser Phenex both shared the same eyes.

Cruel. Vindictive.

And while Riser wore his intentions like a coat of armor, Naruto hid his behind the charm of an ordinary college student.

She wasn't sure which was worse.

-xxx-

The world hated him. Or at least, despised him enough to irk him at every turn.

He knew there were supernatural forces in this world as well; he could feel their energy. Thankfully, they ignored him for the most part. And the few unlucky creatures that sought to pick a fight never even had a chance before they found a kunai in their throat.

To the bigger fish, he was just another human.

To the small fry, however…

Naruto resisted the urge to sigh again.

He'd been sitting in the park, watching the sun set, when out of the blue, a couple walked by. That wasn't anything new, of course, except for the murderous intent the girl exuded. He watched as she whispered a few words into the boy's ears before two great wings unfurled from her back, as black as nightmare. It was a pitiful show of dominance. But to the boy, who she'd pinned against a water fountain with a spear of light, it was probably overwhelming.

He could smell blood, even from where he sat.

Underneath a great oak tree, his silhouette was overshadowed by its leaves and branches. He'd made sure to mask his energy. He made no move to interfere. It wasn't his place. It quite literally wasn't his world.

He watched as the lady with wings twirled about her spear of light. Incandescent and… pink? He watched as she gutted the boy like a fish, running her weapon through him like a hot knife through butter. He watched as he fell, limp and twitching into the fountain. Blood, the color of the distant sunset, inked into the surrounding waters.

He shook his head.

In another world, the Hero of the Hidden Leaf wouldn't have hesitated to interfere. In another world, the crow lady wouldn't have gotten past her third syllable before he ripped her apart with a well-placed Rasengan. In another world, that boy, whoever he was, wouldn't have died. But that was another world. Here, he was simply Naruto Uzumaki. Here, he couldn't bring himself to care.

He got up to make his leave.

He still had a seal to complete, after all.

Two steps in, and his senses were already screaming.

"Hello, _human_."

Naruto sighed.

The world didn't just hate him. It absolutely _abhorred_ him.

He turned around, his face the perfect expression of boredom. Maybe if he appeared clueless, she would ignore him. If not…

The glowing tip of her spear found its way millimeters before his throat.

He fought down the urge to rip her limb from limb.

"Hello," he said.

The heat of her weapon singed the hairs on his neck. He leaned slightly back. The crow sneered, unholy wings flapping behind her.

"Do you have a death wish, or are you just that stupid?" Her voice was like oiled honey. Slick and cold and above all, wrong. It didn't belong to a face like that.

"Maybe both," he said.

The crow narrowed her eyes, an action that was almost too human. She pressed the spear closer to his neck; it stopped a hair's breadth away. He leaned back a little more. It really was uncomfortable.

"I am Raynare," she declared. "The Scourge of Dusk. And-"

"I don't care," he said. "Please, go away."

Raynare's eyes widened in anger. He saw her strike an eternity before she did.

Her grip would tighten on the spear. He saw her muscles tense. In a few seconds, her killing intent would saturate the air, telling him exactly where she would aim and how much force she'd put into the thrust. It would pierce his throat and end his life in one fell swoop. His death would be prolonged and painful, choking on blood and spit and singed sinew. He even saw her triumphant smile at the end of it all.

So when he snapped her spear like a twig, her expression was only vaguely satisfying. He smiled the only smile he couldn't fake. A bloodthirsty sneer.

"Raynare," he purred. "I probably won't remember you."

-xxx-

She came to him moments before he died.

It was his last wish: to see a beautiful woman, and Rias had every intention of granting it. She watched as the life faded from his eyes, watched as his heart stopped pumping and his chest fell one final time.

Finally.

She smiled.

Things were going according to plan.

She withdrew the necessary Evil Pieces and placed them on his chest. With this, she would harness his power for herself. With this, she would finally be free.

"Should we call the police?"

"No need, I'm-" She whirled around, her Power of Destruction flaring. Verdant eyes searched frantically for the source of the voice before landing on a familiar face. Then, they narrowed.

"Uzumaki," she growled.

"Hello," he said.

She glared at him, mind whirring. How? _How?_ She had kept her senses up, raised barriers upon barriers that would alert her for any unfriendly forces. This moment was supposed to be the crowning of a month's worth of planning. And now, he was ruining it, just like he ruined everything else.

The blonde looked her over once. She fought down the urge to burn him alive.

"So, that's pretty cool," he gestured vaguely at her hands.

Rias clenched her fists, her glare never once leaving his form. She took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"Yes," she said. "It's the Power of Destruction. The birthright of my clan."

The blonde cocked his head.

"Right," he said. "I meant the chess pieces."

 **AN2: Leave a review please!**


	2. Kurama's Sacrifice

**AN: Wow! That was a lot of reviews. Thank you guys so much. I read through every single one of them and I have to say, I am astounded by the interest in this story. It's a pretty cliched concept, but I think I've got what it takes to spice it up. You'll know what I mean when you finish this chapter ;D Anyway. Enjoy!**

"That _fucking_ \- Urgh!"

Rias slammed her fist into the table, sending a spiderweb of cracks down its legs. The Power of Destruction flickered visibly beneath her skin. Boiled, more like, as she struggled to keep it from erupting to the surface.

The Occult Research Club's clubroom was, if rumors were to be believed, several hundred years old. She doubted Sona would forgive her if she burned the place down. She'd probably regret it herself.

Rias let out a shaky breath.

Even now, she could still see his eyes. Like chips of hard ice. They were everything she despised; they were Naruto Uzumaki's.

She grabbed a pencil and started writing. Words. Jagged phrases. Incoherent curses. It didn't matter. Writing helped calm her nerves whenever she was feeling a little too much of anything. And today, her nerves were _frayed_. The pencil's wood creaked and groaned under her vice-like grip. Her knuckles were white with anger. Before long, the room was filled with the sounds of furious scratching. It was only when somebody knocked on the door that she'd hurriedly paused and hid her notebook.

She took a moment to wipe the thin film of sweat from her brow. The room had gotten too hot; she was sure her cheeks were flushed. She brushed aside a loose lock of hair before saying as calmly as she could, "Come in."

Seconds later, and Akeno stepped in.

Rias offered her best friend a smile; the black-haired Queen offered one back.

"Tea?" she asked, holding two cups and closing the door behind her.

"Please," she said.

Rias leaned back in her chair as Akeno set the chinaware down. Her Queen blew on the teacups once, twice, before pushing one over to her. Rias took a sip. Like always, Akeno's tea was delicious. Not too hot. Not too cold. Complete with the perfect amount of honey.

The two shared a look over the rims of their cups.

"What?" she asked.

Akeno's lips twitched. "Nothing."

Rias rolled her eyes. "It's not nothing if you say it's nothing."

Her Queen stuck her tongue out at her.

She retaliated in kind.

"Look at us go," Akeno said. "A High-Class Devil and her Queen. Very mature."

Rias said the only thing that came to mind. "Yeah, well. You started it."

Akeno snorted. "Like I said. Very mature."

"Careful now," she said, taking another sip of her tea. "Wouldn't want your fans knowing you snort like a pig."

"Yes well, I wouldn't want _your_ fans knowing you have a boyfriend."

Rias gawked, momentarily flustered by her friend's words. "I- You- _What_?"

"Oh come now," her Queen bared her teeth, smiling like a predator closing in on her prey. "I know you, Rias. Your cheeks are flushed. Your hands are shaking. You're thinking about something. Or should I say, _someone_."

"No, that's not-" she tried to say, but Akeno had already pounced in for the kill.

Her Queen licked her lips, smiling in a way that would've sent a hundred men to their knees, quaking in fear and pleasure.

"You can tell me," she said. "Come on. Who's the unlucky guy?"

Twin blue eyes, an image she killed in her dreams every night, flashed through her mind. Rias sagged in her chair, suddenly feeling very, very tired. She took a deep breath and turned to her friend.

Akeno paused, cocking her head.

"Rias?"

Rias only sighed.

"What do you know about Naruto Uzumaki?"

-xxx-

Chess pieces. They were chess pieces.

Eight black pawns, sitting atop the boy's chest and glowing with some unholy magic. He'd seen similar pieces being sold in sets. For children eight and up, was the usual precautionary label. For family fun. He watched these particular chess pieces dissolve into the boy's chest, imbuing him with some kind of dark energy; he was a hundred percent certain he'd never seen an advertisement for this.

"So uh," he gestured to the boy, who was now levitating. "Is that supposed to happen?"

The girl in front of him smiled, but he knew better. He took note of her stance. Defensive. Ready to move at a moment's notice. At least she had good instincts. And from the way she embellished her hands with dark arcane magic, the _Power of Destruction_ as she called it, he could tell she was trying to intimidate him.

"I don't see how that's any of your business," she said. Her voice was sickly sweet. As if to scare him, her energy levels spiked, saturating the air with a heavy, oppressive presence. It would've brought a dozen lesser men to their knees. To the former shinobi, it was but a light breeze.

"Right," he said. He ignored the urge to overwhelm her paltry attempt at dominance by force. Not here, he clenched a fist behind his back. Not again. "Well, considering the guy's dying in my second favorite park, I think it's kind of my business."

The girl, her hair a great bonfire of crimson, merely sneered.

"You thought wrong."

The sudden spike of anger that stabbed at him wasn't a surprise. Vengeful. Wrathful. It threatened to clog his mind with the red fog of war. He quelled the urge ruthlessly. Blood, warm and slick, slid down his knuckles from the crescent shaped welts in his palms. The pain was good. The pain brought him focus.

He took a deep breath.

It was a part of him now, this addiction to violence. The insidious voice in the back of his mind telling him to rip her apart limb by bloody limb. It was a by-product of Kurama's sacrifice. It was a by-product of his weakness. And through it all he smiled.

"Well, you know," he said. "I happen to know the guy. I go to the same school as him." At least, he hoped he did. They were wearing the same uniform, after all.

The girl scoffed. "I do too. I'm not going to hurt him, if that's what you're worried about."

"That's great," he said. "Oh that's great. In that case, I'll just leave."

The girl blinked. He could see confusion in those seafoam colored orbs, palpable as the sunset behind them. She tilted her head. "What, is that it?"

"Hm?"

"You're not going to ask me what I'm doing?"

"Should I?"

She stood up straighter, and from behind her back, two bat-like wings unfurled. He could feel her energy level rise. The black lacquer flamers at her fingertips seemed to grow darker. He wondered if her new form was a powerup. He crushed the urge to test that theory.

"Nice wings," was all he said.

" _Nice wings?_ " she sounded incredulous. "Are you not scared of me? Are you not afraid?"

"No." He'd seen worse. Far, far worse. "Should I be?"

"Yes!"

Naruto cocked his head. "Why?"

"Because I'm a Devil!"

"That's kind of mean. I think you're pretty nice."

"No!" she glared at him. "Are you an idiot?"

"Yes."

He'd always been the first to admit that. He wouldn't stop now.

"Urgh!" The she-devil stomped her foot on the ground, as if throwing a temper tantrum. Her cheeks burned the same color as her hair. And what beautiful hair she had. The color of the distant sunset. The color of… He smiled.

"You know," he said. "For a Devil, you seem pretty human."

" _Excuse me_?" Her voice gained a dangerous edge.

"I mean, you don't seem the type to steal babies and drink their blood."

The girl crossed her arms, her glare returning in full force. This time, marginally less severe. "That's a stereotype, Uzumaki."

"Huh," he said. "Okay."

She sighed. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just in the area."

"Uh huh. Sure."

"No, really." He pointed at the nearby bench. "I was sitting there, and then I saw this guy dying in a fountain so I decided to come check it out. Speaking of which," he looked at the boy, who had stopped levitating. "Is he still dead, or…?"

The girl stared at him for a few seconds, as if deciding whether or not to believe him. After a little more glaring, she turned to the boy herself. "No, he's not. I resurrected him as my servant. As my Pawn."

"Oh," he blinked. He wasn't sure what else to say.

"And what happened to the Fallen?" she asked.

"The what?"

"The Fallen Angel. The one that killed him."

She meant the crow lady. She wouldn't have to worry about her anymore. Nobody would.

"Um, I have no idea." He pointed at the boy on the ground, who was now very much alive, his chest rising and falling in steady intervals. "You should probably ask him, no?"

The she-devil shook her head. "He won't wake for another several hours."

"Oh," he said again. "Damn."

The girl massaged her temples. "Look, Uzumaki-"

"How do you know my name?" he asked.

She blinked. "… What?"

"My name," he said. "How do you know my name?"

A pair of verdant green eyes regarded him incredulously, before narrowing as one. "Are you messing with me?"

Naruto shook his head.

"We're in the same _class_."

"Which one?"

"English- Are you serious right now?"

"Yeah."

There was that damn glare again. "Where- Where have you _been_?"

"Here," he said.

"Do you know my name?"

"No."

"So you don't know who I am."

He shook his head again.

Her glare darkened to a poisonous green. Lacquered flames erupted at her fingertips once again. It was as if his very existence was an insult to her. When she spoke, her voice was sharper than a hiss. "I'm Rias Gremory."

"I'm Naruto."

"I'm _Rias Gremory_."

Quite honestly, he didn't care who she was. Her decadent eyes, however, were starting to get on his nerves again. He quelled the carnal anger bubbling beneath his skin with another well-placed smile.

He stuck out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Rias."

-xxx-

"He's human."

Rias nodded, still irked at the memory playing through her head.

"He's _human_ ," Akeno repeated.

"Yes."

Her Queen looked incredulous, as if she wasn't sure if it was one great, big prank. They were sitting in her office, feet propped up on her work desk. Grayfia would've had both their heads if she was here. But she wasn't, and Rias relished in her tiny moments of freedom.

"And he just stood there and took it?"

Her Queen was a skeptic, and rightly so. Even the strongest human wouldn't be able to contest with a pure-blooded Devil. Devils were stronger, faster. Masters of the arcane. They were superior in every way. So when Naruto Uzumaki withstood the full brunt of her aura, it meant he was either hiding a Scared Gear, or extremely, extremely stupid.

"Does he have a Sacred Gear?"

Rias shook her head. "I searched his energy levels. They were pitiful. Maybe a bit above the average person, but nowhere near the capacity needed to wield a Sacred Gear."

"So, then…" Akeno seemed hesitant, but Rias finished her thought for her.

"Yeah. He's just really, really stupid."

Her Queen shook her head in wonder. "And here I thought humans were supposed to be the ones with self-preservation."

Rias snorted. "Not this one."

She sat up in her chair and lowered her legs from the desk. Uzumaki aside, there were still tons to do. She still had to sort through the latest contracts her Peerage completed. She still needed to take care of her little dragon problem. Twin green eyes stared forlornly at her empty teacup. What she would give to be able to write about now.

"Rias?" Akeno touched her shoulder.

"Sorry." She looked up from the table. Originally, she'd planned to heal Issei herself. But now, with all this unfinished work, she wasn't sure she had the time. "Akeno, could you do me a favor?"

"Of course," said her Queen.

The answer was immediate, and Rias shot her a grateful smile. Akeno had been by her side since the very beginning. She dreaded the day they'd be forced apart. The image of a pair of arrogant blue eyes flashed through her mind. She straightened with determination.

"Heal Issei for me, would you? And afterwards, explain everything."

Akeno nodded. "You got it. The clubhouse, tomorrow?"

"At five." That would be enough time for her new Pawn to become situated. Then, she would start training him.

"Yes, Buchou."

"Don't call me that."

And as she exited the room with their cups, her Queen managed to get the last laugh. Before Rias could retaliate in kind, she'd stuck out her tongue, blown a raspberry, and shut the door behind her.

"Akeno!" she yelled, leaping out of her chair.

Her Queen's laughter stretched from all the way down the hall.

"You started it!"

Rias stared at the now closed door with something akin to wonder.

A small giggle tickled the back of her throat. Once, twice. Before long, she was shaking her head and smiling. It was just like Akeno. If her Queen had her way, they would still be children, both ten years old and sprinting around the bejeweled halls of the Gremory estate. They laughed a lot more back then. Now…

Rias sank down in her chair again. She took a deep breath and adjusted her reading glasses.

It was time to work.

But first, a pencil.

She looked around. Where…? Ah.

As she reached for a pencil beneath her desk, her fingers brushed up against the pages of her notebook. In her hurry from earlier, she hadn't bothered to close it. Now, the page she'd written on was on full display.

She pulled it out and stared at the slightly ruffled paper.

In her anger, she'd written his name across the page in big jagged letters. Every letter was carved in, traced over with strokes so hard it was a miracle the paper didn't rip. She felt her mood sour at the reminder of the blonde.

Naruto Uzumaki.

She'd known from the first time they met that he was trouble. It was his eyes. His hideous, blue eyes. They held a certain darkness in them that only the most attentive would notice. Rias counted herself among that select few.

She'd seen the anger lurk in those cold arctic orbs. Seen them betray their master's true intentions. Seen them mask wrath with stupidity. It wasn't anything to worry about; he was only human. And she relished in her power over him.

In the end, maybe she was superimposing. Maybe, instead of the blue eyes of Naruto Uzumaki, she saw another pair of similar-colored orbs. Either way, she was to burn them both. She demanded to burn them both.

It was her right to greed as a pure-blooded Devil.

And Rias Gremory, the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess, wanted nothing more.

-xxx-

Shaky hands hovered over a grand and complex seal, sprawled across the wooden floorboards like some kind of archaic map. Inked in blood and chakra, it was the very definition of a miracle. Naruto looked up from the very last cornerstone of his masterpiece. It was almost time.

The Command of Space-Time matrix.

The culmination of over two years of work.

When he'd first landed in this new world, sent careening through a great expanse of swirling colors and energies, he'd been left without anything. No clothes. No food. No shelter.

The primordial energies in the great expanse had lashed at him, tearing flesh from his bones and screams from his throat. It had taken Kurama the better part of a full month to knit him back together. According to the gripey old fox, it hadn't been easy. It certainly didn't feel easy.

But Naruto Uzumaki never gave up, or so he told himself, and he'd clawed his way to his feet. This new world was peaceful, and rich in time. So he'd gone to a library, written down what shreds of memory he still had of his father's Flying Thunder God Technique and extrapolated from there. Jiraya was many things during his three-year tenant with him, but useless, he was not.

He'd learned much from the Toad Sage, and when Naruto finally stood above a completed seal that would take him home, he realized something. The old pervert would've been proud. He would've been _proud_.

That was a full year ago.

Before the accident.

Now, he stared down at his second chance. His prodigal son.

He clenched his teeth, feeling the toxic chakra bubble up beneath his skin. A single tear pricked at his eyes, before evaporating before the heat of his power. Kurama's last gift to him roared to life with all its familiar impunity. A golden cloak of fire. A wrathful suit of armor. His Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, perverted with anger and darkness.

Still, he found solace in its familiarity.

He took a deep breath. The unpurified chakra didn't burn his skin anymore; it was part of him, just like it had been a part of his friend. And now, he would use it to fulfill his friend's last wish. To get them out of this hell-hole.

The last time he'd tried this, the resulting blowback was catastrophic. It had wiped out an entire mountain range, decimating over a two-mile radius, and all because one simple miscalculation. He would've died, if it wasn't for Kurama. He should've died.

Naruto closed his eyes and counted to three.

One.

Two.

Three.

The seal beneath his feet _glowed_. He gritted his teeth and began molding chakra, pouring it like a flood into the matrix beneath his feet. An ocean of it. A torrent of malice and anger and untapped energy. His tenketsu screamed in protest, but he kept going, folding layers upon layers of the potent stuff and releasing it all in one violent push. And slowly, before his very eyes, the space-time dimension rippled.

He grunted in pain.

One final shove, and the cornerstones of his seal strengthened. The air in front of him cracked. And then, a portal opened. Taunting with impossibility. Swirling with archaic energies.

An entrance to _infinity_.

Naruto wiped at his eyes, feeling the tears burn the back of his nostrils. He'd done it. He'd really done it.

"Kurama," he whispered.. "I'm coming."

He took a single step, and the world was bathed in light.

-xxx-

Rias Gremory leapt to her feet, wide-eyed and frantic. What was _that_?

Her Queen burst in only seconds later.

"Rias, did you feel-?"

"Yes," she nodded, squeezing her eyes tight in concentration. "Yes, just give me- give me one second. I need to find it. I need to…" The young King opened her eyes. "There."

She created a teleportation circle and stepped in. Akeno took her place beside her. They were both tense, she could feel it. Wisps of dark flame kissed her fingertips, her Power of Destruction, ready at a moment's notice. Akeno's lightning hummed in anticipation. And as the magic circle sent their bodies careening through space-time, she couldn't help but acknowledge the trepidation she felt.

Because whoever was causing this, this _disruption_ to the natural world, was strong.

They arrived at a little apartment complex on the outskirts of the city. Or at least, what used to be an apartment complex. Rias had walked by this place many a time on her way to the bookstore. Now, it was a wasteland of ash and cement.

She shared an uneasy look with her Queen.

"We should call for back-up."

Akeno's suggestion wasn't unwarranted, but she dismissed it in the end. She shook her head. "No time. Kiba's probably still at school, and Koneko's napping."

Her Queen nodded, her lips tight and thin. There were no room for debates. Not now. Akeno gave a single nod before stepping inside, lightning crackling in her palms. Rias followed suit.

The inside of the ruins were dark. Akeno led the way with her hands, holding up garlands of electricity like a flashlight through tunnel. They walked towards the source of the power, pulsating and waning in random intervals. It was still several hundred feet in front of them. They made sure to be silent.

When they finally reached the center of the catastrophe, Rias was confused. The lingering source of power was all around them, scorching the air with its intensity. It'd gotten hotter and hotter the closer they drew to this place; now, it was like they were standing in front of the sun. And still, she couldn't pinpoint where any of this was coming from.

Akeno's breath hitched in her throat.

"Rias."

Rias followed her Queen's finger.

Seafoam colored eyes traced down a path of broken stones and jagged steel before coming to rest on a single ashen colored body, well camouflaged against the ground it was laying upon. She stepped closer, ignoring Akeno's tug against her sleeves.

The heat was getting unbearable now, and if it wasn't for her natural disposition for the natural heat of the Underworld, she was sure she would've been burned alive. As it were, she only suffered a slight headache. She climbed down a set of jagged concrete stones and kneeled before the figure.

It had once been a person, that much was obvious.

But now, there was only a vague humanoid form of badly singed sinew and shards of broken bone. She closed her eyes, silently lamenting at the loss of a life. Whoever this person was, they didn't deserve it.

She looked around.

Who could've done this?

Who even had the power to?

She was so lost in her thoughts that when Akeno's voice cut straight through the reverie like a sharp knife through butter, it took her a few seconds to respond appropriately.

"Rias, look out!"

She lurched back, alarmed.

Before her very eyes, the broken body at her feet bubbled with a strange kind of energy. Red and malignant. The same kind that scorched the air around her. Dust and ash covering the body turned to black and crumbled away like sand in a windstorm. And then, the hissing started.

Rias watched as sinew reknit together, bones come again in painful crunches, and the once broken form of a person in front of her take shape again. It was a human. A man. Her eyes widened.

And at the same time, a pair of familiar blue eyes opened.

 **AN2: That's a wrap! Please leave a review and let me know what you think. If you enjoyed it, hated it, have any suggestions etc. Until next time!**


	3. Two Heroes

**AN1: Hey guys! Super sorry about the long(ish) wait. Uni's started up again, and I'm taking a bunch of upper-div CS classes. It's... a time. I haven't had the time to write as much, and this'll probably continue into the foreseeable future. Expect slower updates. Like, much, much slower. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!**

 **Edit AN: Some people are complaining that Naruto is too "nerfed", or that he's going to become a devil. First of all, no. He's not nerfed. If you read between the lines, you'll understand that he still has all his powers. The only "nerf" is a slight complication to his character- a byproduct of Kurama being ripped away from him. Secondly, no, he's not going to become a devil. It doesn't make sense. Rias has nowhere near enough power to turn him.**

 _Ba-dum_.

"Dobe!"

Sasuke's voice, promising fire and brimstone, thundered across the icy terrain of one of Kaguya's many dimensions. His Sharingan was bleeding. His Rinnegan, dim. Still, the last Uchiha glared. "Don't you fucking do it."

Naruto shook his head. "I have to, Teme."

"Dobe-"

"I have to!" It was his turn to glare. "I have to. She'll find us any second now. And Kurama's says she's close. It's the only way."

Sasuke took a single step forward. Naruto flared his chakra.

"Dobe!" Sasuke's eyes were so dark he could've sworn they were black. He could see his frustration. He could see his pain. In retrospect, he supposed if their situations were switched, he would've felt the same.

"Not another step, Teme."

Sasuke's chakra _spiked_.

Cloaked under the impenetrable aegis of Susanno, the last Uchiha's rage was clear to see. The eldritch flames of the legendary ninjutsu climbed higher into the night. A wrathful avatar of his will made real.

" _Naruto!_ "

Naruto smiled. A small, bitter thing.

They were almost out of time.

The old sage's power had given him a supernatural sense for chakra, and Kaguya's was a roaring inferno. She was closing in fast. He could feel the mad goddess even now, a few worlds away. She tore through dimensions like they were paper; in a few scant seconds, she would be here. Then, it'd be the endgame.

"Naruto," Kurama's voice, deep and gravelly, brushed against the back of his mind.

"I know," he said.

"The Uchiha will try to stop you."

"I know."

There was a pregnant pause.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" The Biju's tone was indecipherable.

"Are you worried about me, Kurama?"

Kurama growled, low in his throat.

"This isn't a joke, Naruto. What you're doing, it's suicide."

"I know," he said again. He wanted to laugh. "I know."

He'd gotten used to feeling his friend's emotions. It was a byproduct of their bond. And right now, their bond was telling him Kurama was just as conflicted as he was. Half of the old fox agreed it was the only way. The other half wanted to take over his body and run as far away as possible.

"Don't," he said, before Kurama could speak again.

"Naruto-"

"This is my decision. Don't."

The sudden spike of anger wasn't unexpected. The remorse he felt was. Kurama lashed out against the corners of his mind. "Listen to me, boy! It's _our_ lives you're risking. I get a say in this just as much as you do!"

"That's why you should leave," he said. He kept his eyes forward. "Quickly. Before she gets here."

A red-hot lance of pain speared through his mind. Kurama's rage, his disbelief, was overwhelming. "Do you hear yourself, Naruto? I'm _not_ leaving you!"

"Kurama-"

"Shut up!" Without warning, his friend wrenched him into their mindscape. He closed his eyes as a massive pair of jaws snapped at the air. Putrid chakra hissed and frothed like steam. Nine glowing tales waved like flames. And through it all, he sighed. "Kurama."

The Biju _roared_.

"Think about this, boy! You're going to die! I won't let you sacrifice yourself for a world that never gave a shit. You're my friend!"

"And you're mine," he said. "But Kurama, I have to."

"Naruto-"

"I have to."

Kurama howled.

Gnarled claws dug themselves into his mindscape, as if they was trying to mutilate the very foundations of reality. And they were. Naruto could feel it. Could feel him. The Biju would've given anything in the moment to change their fate. He would've unmade the world.

"Give me _one_ good reason why," Kurama's voice was like rolling thunder. "Give me one good reason why it has to be you."

Naruto looked up.

For a moment he was twelve again, and it was Kabuto's smug expression in front of him. The Rasengan in his hands pulsed like a heartbeat. Then he was sixteen, shaking hands with Gaara. The Kazekage promised him a drink, when this was all over. A few months later, he stood in front of Pain, carrying the loss of his home, his sensei, his friends. Futon: Rasenshuriken hummed like a dying star. He'd finally surpassed the Fourth.

A single tear fell, crystalline and blue.

In it, he saw another life.

Sasuke stood next to him atop Konoha, Sakura beside them. Kakashi-sensei, his face older, kinder, smiled warmly in the background. And he saw Hinata, the girl- no, woman- who'd professed her love to him. Perhaps he'd have another chance.

And maybe it was a trick of the light, but for a single second, he swore he saw two children, laughing with all the innocence the world had robbed from him. One had his whisker marks, his electric shock of hair. The other's Byakugan shone like twin silver pearls, misplaced from the sea.

He closed his eyes, drinking in their faces.

Outside, Kaguya tore a hole through the fabric of reality. Sasuke lunged.

He smiled, bitterly.

"Because I'm a goddamn hero."

-xxx-

 _Ba-dum_.

 _Ba-dum_.

"Naruto, stop. You've looked it over half a dozen times already."

"It has to be perfect," he said.

"Naruto."

"It has to be perfect."

Teal blue eyes traced over every single inch of the impossibility beneath his feet. An intricate web of chakra-induced ink and blood. It was the most complex seal he'd ever drawn, perhaps the most complex seal ever. Derived from Kurama's memory of long-lost Uzumaki displacement techniques and his father's infamous Flying Thunder God seal, it was the culmination of a year and a half's work.

The Command of Space-Time matrix.

A gateway back home.

"Naruto," Kurama nudged the back of his mind. "Enough. It's time."

"But what if-"

"Enough."

Naruto sighed. He pushed himself up and took his place at the head of the seal. From where he stood, the strange archaic symbols he'd lost sleep over for weeks on end seemed almost too delicate to be true. Every line was drawn with perfect precision. Every rune etched with steady hands. And to think the matrix beneath him could tear apart the very fabric of reality.

"Kurama," he tried to say.

"I know," said the fox.

He clenched his fists. Kurama masked his emotions well, but there was no hiding from their link. He could feel the fox's unease, bubbling like lava in the pit of his stomach. It only made him feel that much worse.

"Remember," the Biju warned. "The seal needs a continuous supply of power, so don't hesitate, no matter what. Just focus on molding chakra. I'll take care of the rest."

"Kurama-"

"It's okay. I know."

Kurama took a deep breath. He did the same.

"Are you ready?" His friend's tone was indecipherable, but he knew better. He knew.

"Let's go."

Like a living flame, Kurama's chakra surged through his limbs for the first time in months. An electric shock, without the static. His vision sharpened, everything becoming more vibrant and colorful. He could feel the individual air molecules around him, charged by the sudden influx of energy. His very presence singed the ground.

Then came the pain.

He suppressed a groan. The potent, primordial power burned like liquid fire, biting with no remorse. His ruined chakra coils could only take so much. His tenketsu _screamed_.

Even channeling it felt wrong. Without his own chakra to temper Kurama's flames, it was like pressing oil into water. Forcing it caused his blood to boil. Leaving it was to condemn them here forever.

He gritted his teeth and pushed through.

Little by little, bit by bit, the cornerstones of his matrix peeled back. Incandescent light, like the birth of a white star, pulled at the edges of reality. A dozen glowing chains anchored themselves in place. Then, the portal opened.

He stared.

For a brief second, he could see Konoha. A beautiful village hidden in thickets of great green leaves. His home. His legacy. A place he thought he'd never get to see. Sasuke was there, waiting for him on the other side. Sakura was waiting on the other side. Hinata was on the other side.

He drank it all in with wide blue eyes.

"Kurama," he whispered.

"We did it," his friend breathed. "We really did it."

Silence hummed for one peaceful second.

Then, space-time shattered.

The seal glowed an alarming shade of red.

He watched, horrified, as the chains snapped one by one. The portal twisted. And reality folded upon itself. The natural world sought to correct his perversion of its laws in the only way it knew how. With catastrophe.

"Kurama!" In front of him, the unstable vortex howled. A shrieking supernova of energies, an imploding blackhole. The matrix shook, destabilized from the sudden imbalance in power. And all the chakra, pooled and saved for over half a year, churned violently beneath his feet.

"Kurama, your chakra! It's-"

He was cut off by another crack. A piece of the seal flickered, before ripping off completely. Somebody screamed; he wasn't sure if it was him or the wind.

"Naruto!"

Kurama's voice, drowned out by the storm.

"Naruto, let go!"

He tried to focus, tried to rally his thoughts and open his eyes. A sea of swirling colors greeted him. The remnants of his once proud gateway.

"Let go! You have to let go!"

Left from right and up from down- he couldn't tell which was which. He was anchored in place by the whimsical will of gravity; he was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness.

" _Naruto!_ "

He let go.

Kurama's chakra sapped from his muscles, leaving him with a vicious sense of whiplash. He hunched over, disoriented from the sudden loss of strength. The golden fire that had once cloaked his form spluttered and died; he was left frail and defenseless against the brutal pressure of the storm.

Then, it was silent.

He swayed on his feet, staggering forth a step.

"Kurama?"

Nobody answered. A cold pit formed in his stomach.

And the world detonated.

-xxx-

Rias Gremory was confused.

Conflicted.

Above all, she was _livid_.

Seafoam colored eyes glared at the barely conscious blonde beneath her. How? _How?_ The scorching red heat. The monstrous power. He shouldn't have been able to generate this much blood-lust. He was human. He was _human_.

 _Evidently not_ , whispered a small part of her mind.

Beside her, Akeno shared the same sentiment.

"H-How?" her Queen stuttered.

Rias shook her head, unable to answer.

Akeno grabbed her arm. Bruising. Tight. Her Queen's eyes were wide with an unease she hadn't seen in years. Akeno had always been the confident one, even in the direst of circumstances. Now, her expression was tight with caution.

"We should leave," she said, pulling her away.

Rias didn't respond.

"Rias," she said again. "We should leave."

Rias glared.

Akeno's trepidation wasn't unfounded. Her Queen's instincts were almost always right, especially when it came to danger. The Shinto Shrine massacre had made sure of that. As a result, she'd learned to trust in her friend's strange sixth sense on the battlefield.

" _Rias_."

Rias closed her eyes. In her mind, she saw herself turn around. Saw herself follow Akeno, leaving behind the strange blonde and the carnage he'd wrought. Saw herself step into the teleportation circle that'd take them both from this wasteland.

When Akeno began to drag her away, she found herself rooted in place.

A dark flame ignited in her palms.

"Rias!" Akeno whirled around, alarmed. Garlands of electricity singed the air, leaping to their master's defense in an instinct born from hundreds and hundreds of battles. Rias felt her own flames rise.

Still, she didn't move.

"What are you doing?" her friend hissed.

"I'm…"

What _was_ she doing? Why didn't she just leave?

Perhaps it was pride that stayed her feet; perhaps it was indignation. He had once been an insignificant ant to her. A weakling she subjugated in her dreams. She'd relished in this power over him. Now, she wasn't so certain.

And it scared her.

"I don't know," she said.

Akeno seized her arm. "Look at me, Rias. This isn't the time. Whatever the hell happened here just released enough energy to alert every Fallen in town. If they find us- _when_ they find us, we're screwed."

"We have an agreement with them," she heard herself say.

"Yeah, in _peacetime_. But if it looks like we blew up half the fucking town, they won't hesitate to kill us."

"We can take them."

"Rias!" Akeno spun her around. "Do you hear yourself right now? Snap out of it!"

Rias shook her head, disoriented. It was like she was watching herself from the third person, like she was an outsider looking in. Her actions weren't her own. The Power of Destruction waned as she lowered her hand. "Sorry, I just…"

"It doesn't matter," her friend's voice was taut. "Let's _go_."

Rias took one last look at the blonde at her feet. His eyes flickered erratically from beneath his eyelids. His brow was furrowed with grime. A small part of her mind wondered what he was dreaming about. Then, his eyes fluttered open.

She saw a sliver of blue.

And that was all it took.

Her anger came roaring back. Indignant and full-force.

How dare he? How _dare_ he?

Only hours ago, he'd introduced himself, seemingly without a clue of who she was. She was Rias Gremory, and he was human. She was _Rias Gremory_ , and he was a worthless fucking human. She'd resisted the urge to incinerate him back then. She wouldn't be so merciful now.

She ignited her flames, ready to destroy him- _damn_ the consequences- only for Akeno to slap her across the face.

Her Power of Destruction spluttered and died. Her vision sharpened. And she stared, shell shocked.

The pain was like being doused with cold water. The resulting sound was the vicious crack of a whip.

Akeno had just slapped her. _Slapped_ her.

Her Queen was her best friend, her loyal confidant through good times and bad. They'd argued before, sure. They'd sparred with both words and magics. But Akeno had never hit her. Not like this.

Rias touched the side of her face. It was throbbing. "What..."

Akeno, for her part, also looked shocked. Her Queen stared at her with widened eyes, as if she couldn't believe what she'd just done. They locked eyes.

"Rias," she tried to say.

Rias shook her head. "It's- It's okay. It's okay."

"I'm sorry," her Queen looked pained. "It's this place. This energy. It's affecting me. There's just so _much_."

Rias understood. She could feel it too- this horrible, malignant power that saturated the air. It was a crimson sand storm, seeping beneath her skin and poisoning her thoughts. Even now, she could feel her blood boil at the tingling in her cheeks. And as artificial as the feeling was, it wasn't something she could overlook.

"It's okay," she said again. "It's okay. You're right. Let's just go. This energy- whatever it is- is messing with both of us."

Akeno nodded, her expression still tight with regret. "Okay."

They stepped over the blonde's body and climbed up a set of rocks that would take them back. Dimly, Rias was aware of the growing cacophony in the air. The sounds of a hundred black wings flapping. She quickened her pace until they stood in front of a familiar tunnel.

Just as she was about to summon the teleportation circle that would take them home, Akeno stopped her. Rias looked at her questioningly.

"No magic," her Queen said. "They'll sense it."

She paused. "Right."

Akeno turned to look back at the ruined landscape. "What about him?"

"Who?" she asked.

"The guy on the ground."

"Uzumaki?"

Akeno blinked. "That was Uzumaki?"

Rias nodded.

"But," her Queen said. "I thought he was human."

"So did I," she said.

Now that they'd stepped out of the blistering heat, Rias felt herself breathe easier. Her mind was her own again. Her decisions seemed more rational. She looked out at the prone form of Uzumaki, laid out across a heap of rubble. She glared.

"Is he the one doing this?" Akeno asked.

Rias shook her head. "I don't know."

"Should we just leave him?"

She shook her head again. "I don't know."

"Rias," Akeno's voice was hesitant. "The Fallen…"

That she did know. The flapping of angry wings now resembled the prevailing thunder before a distant storm. They were close. Very, very close. She could almost make out the first blips of energy on her radar.

She needed to decide. And fast.

Akeno touched her arm, " _Rias_."

Rias closed her eyes.

On one hand, she _hated_ Naruto Uzumaki. Hated his eyes, hideous and blue. Hated the way he held himself, walked, and talked. He was the splitting image of Riser Phenex; he was evil incarnate. Once, she'd relished in the fact he was only human. Now, she wasn't so sure.

On the other hand, she knew she was being unfair. Naruto Uzumaki, for all her spite, was innocent. She'd never seen him mistreat a person. Never seen him threaten a man nor murder in cold blood. She knew she was just projecting, and that was all it was. He wasn't immortal like Riser, so she'd burned him in her dreams.

But now, _now_ , she'd seen this side of him. Seen him froth with unholy magics and come back from the dead. She had no idea who he was anymore. She had no idea what he was.

Could she really leave such an enigma to the hands of the Fallen?

They'd kill him without fail. Or worse, they'd torture him.

And as loathsome as he was, he didn't deserve that fate. Nobody did.

She glared out at the vicious red energies that choked the air. She glared out at the center of the pit where he laid. Just this once, she told herself. Just one time.

And for this, he'd owe her.

"Akeno," she stepped out of the shade and back into the heat. "Prepare a teleportation circle."

Akeno's lips tightened. "Rias."

Rias didn't reply. She was too angry to. The crimson heat seeped beneath her skin again and turned her head into a roaring furnace. Her chest felt like it would burst. Still, she forced herself to move.

Towards Naruto Uzumaki. Towards those hideous blue eyes.

"Rias!" Akeno called out from behind her. "Hurry!"

The cacophony of wings was so loud now it drowned out even the roar of the storm. Foreign energies, decidedly unfriendly, blinked into existence left and right on her senses. She ran faster still.

She reached the prone form of Uzumaki just as the first black wing eclipsed the moon.

-xxx-

 _Ba-dum._

 _Ba-dum._

 _Ba-dum_.

Naruto opened his eyes. Tried to, more like, as his eyelids weighed like twin iron casts. He could barely lift them. When he did, he couldn't comprehend what it was he was looking at.

A well-lit room. A desk set. Two blurry figures.

There was a sharp pain in the front of his mind. Then, his senses returned.

He suppressed a groan. It started with his spine. An uncomfortable heat that ran a finger from his neck to his pelvis. Then his neck cracked and blood started flowing again. Pins and needles pricked up and down his entire body; he choked out a strangled gurgle.

One of the figures noticed and rushed over.

"Stay still," the voice was decidedly female. Soft and firm and reminded him of wind chimes tinkling. "You're still hurt."

He tried to say something, but in his addled state of mind could only manage a hacking cough, "Where- Where am I?"

There was a small, pregnant pause.

"You're safe," was all she said.

He looked at her, _really_ looked at her, and tried to focus. A pair of purple eyes, framed by soft black hair, stared back.

"How are you feeling, Uzumaki-san?"

He coughed and shook his head. His body felt like it was on fire, even with Kurama's power. The potent energy that had once coursed through his veins seemed almost diminished. Weakened. But, that was impossible. It was _Kurama's_ power. The last time his energy levels dropped this low was…

He felt another presence shift.

Crimson hair, awash with candlelight, moved into the corner of his vision. A girl who held herself with authority. He looked up, weary. He wasn't impartial to how the raven-haired girl seemed to defer to her, nor how her body language reflected that of a servant's. Perhaps that was why he felt a flicker of genuine surprise when he saw a familiar face.

A blood-red sun. A pair of iridescent green eyes. And two bat-like wings.

"Who are you?" he rasped.

The crimson-haired girl- _Rias Gremory,_ if he remembered correctly- glared at him. A decadent, irate glare. He'd seen this once before. The first time around, he'd been annoyed. Now, despite the pain that wracked his bones and the haze that clouded his mind, he felt himself intrigued.

Rias's glare darkened. Poisonous and green.

She crouched until they were face to face.

"I'm your goddamn hero."

 **AN2: And voila! Just a disclaimer: the plot's progressing pretty slowly because I want to flesh out the relationship between Naruto and Rias. It's not as much as a story-driven piece as much as it is a character-driven piece. Anyway, I hope you liked it and leave a review please!**

 **Until next time, Orion.**


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